My Busy Weekend

I did SO much this past weekend, too much to write separate blog posts. So I thought I'd just throw it all into one right here.

Friday

My old roommate and I met in Bethesda and tried two places I had never been to before. We visited Lotus Grill and Bar for dinner, but we were unimpressed (read my Yelp review here). This was a disappointment because we both love Indian food! To make up for it, we headed to 520 Ice Cream & Tea for dessert. It's like Cold Stone Creamery except they roll the ice cream. Like this:

Image found here

The walls were painted with fun cartoon animals, and guests were invited to leave little messages on Post-Its. This one was already waiting for me.

Then Brooke and I took our ice cream to Bethesda Row and sat outside having girl talk. I hadn't seen her for at least six months (she had been abroad), so it was great to catch up. I missed her! And nobody loves girl talk more than I do.

Imagine Brooke and me sitting here enjoying the lovely evening. Image found here.

Saturday

Image found here

After a Bar Method class, I took the metro down to Eastern Market to meet two colleagues for brunch. Note: if you think the DC metro is bad during the week, it's even worse on the weekend. So I arrived at Ambar a bit late, but still beat my colleague who lives in Navy Yard; go figure.

I had never been to Ambar before, but supposedly the restaurant is known for its all-you-can-eat menu and bottomless drinks. With a two-hour time limit, we could order as many small plates and mimosas/bloody mary-s as we wanted. But this comes with a price: $39 per person, and that doesn't include the tax or tip. So you're paying for the experience as much as you are for the food and drinks.

My main tips for handling this menu would be to drink as much as you can, remember that the omelettes are regular size (as opposed to a tiny tapa), and place several orders of the cinnamon sweet sourdough.

They don't look like much, but these sweet fried dough balls taste like funnel cake, only better. Image found here.

After that we walked to Navy Yard to meet Emily's fiance and puppy. It was fun getting to know my colleagues outside of the office. It's great being able to be friends with the people you work with.

After such a big meal, I went home and took a long nap. Then it was time to get ready for Black Cat's summer 80's dance party. I was so excited for my outfit: fishnet bodysuit from Marshalls for $5, pleather mini-skirt from Macy's for $25, along with black tights, leather boots, a bright purple push-up bra, and plaid flannel (which was wrapped around my waist most of the night). You get the idea:

I danced until midnight. I would have stayed longer, but I knew I had a busy day ahead of me.

Sunday

The picture doesn't quite capture the slope of this hill, but people were rolling down it after the yoga class.

I started my day once again on the metro, this time heading to the National Building Museum for a yoga class on their LAWN installation. The main atrium of the museum was covered by a man-made hill of fake grass, which was dotted with hammocks and Adirondack chairs. We climbed up the hill, and Beth A. Wolfe led us in a yoga practice that was very relaxing. It's always fun doing yoga in a new, unique place. How cool!

I continued my exercise with a 20-minute walk to Supra, a Georgian restaurant that is near the Washington Convention Center in a part of town I never go to. But the food was worth the walk, especially since they still had a Restaurant Week menu option. Here are some delicious photos:

This watermelon salad was very refreshing.

Supra (and perhaps Georgia as a whole?) is known for its ajaruli, a bread bowl filled with cheese and egg (and I think sherry. It has a very strong white wine flavor.). Image found here.

My friend and I had to walk off some of those calories, so we headed toward 14th Street. We took a brief rest at the rooftop pool of Mason & Rook (anyone can go, and it's free!), and then walked around, stopping in Chicken + Whiskey (the bar is a speak easy), Miss Pixie's, and Little Leaf. I think Julia was hoping we'd stop for a drink or even Jeni's ice cream, but after eating so much (and spending too much money all weekend), we just walked to the metro and headed home.

That's Gary Clarke, Jr. I promise!

But my weekend was not quite over yet! I cleaned myself up, and my friend from Shabbat picked me up to head to Merriweather Post Pavilion. I didn't know who the bands were, but I love live music and picnics, so I was down. Nicole Atkins opened for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, and then Gary Clark, Jr. was the main act. Atkins was fine, the Night Sweats were my favorite, and Clark can play a mean guitar solo. The evening ended up being a little chilly (ok, I was freezing), but the concert was great and I was swaying along, so it was worth the shivering.

Here are some music videos, one for each performer. Feel free to check out more videos on YouTube!

Nicole Atkins

Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

Gary Clark, Jr.

WHEW! And to think I had actually considered meeting up with a different friend Saturday afternoon and going to the Round House Theatre's opening reception, too. That just would have been too much!